1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to protective gear for snowboard riders, and more particularly, to a wrist pad to be worn by a snowboard rider which forms a rigid and protective support around the wrist area of the wearer, thereby preventing the likelihood of serious wrist injuries which can be sustained during a fall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Snowboarding is presently the fastest growing alpine winter sport in the United States. With a greater number of national ski areas permitting snowboarders to share the same lift serviced terrain as downhill skiers, the number of active participants has mushroomed, particularly in the under 25 years of age group. Snowboarding is analogous to "surfing on the snow". The snowboarder typically wears either "soft-shell" or "rigid-shell" boots, similar to that used with downhill ski equipment, either of which are rigidly secured to a pair of plate bindings, the forward one disposed axially and the rear one disposed transverse on the upper surface of the snowboard. Unlike downhill ski equipment which utilizes releasable bindings that are actuated upon the skier's leg encountering a given twisting or pulling load during a fall, snowboard bindings do not release unless manually activated by the snowboarder when removal of the board is desired. Consequently, the snowboard is always anchored to the rider's feet during use. The reason for the design discrepancy between downhill ski equipment and snowboards is apparent in the geometry of the equipment. Skis are typically elongated, having a very high aspect ratio, i.e., the length of the ski proportion in to its width. Thus, when a skier falls, the long ski length facilitates the generation of a large torque or twisting moment at the interface between the skier's boot and the ski, which if not eliminated by release of the boot from the ski, can easily result in serious leg injuries. Moreover, each ski may be following a mutually exclusive path of travel during a fall. In contrast, because a snowboard has a relatively short aspect ratio, and since both legs are attached to one board, the type of falls encountered by a snowboarder are markedly different from those a downhill skier may face. Thus, the likelihood of leg injuries due to twisting such as typically encountered in downhill skiing are not a real concern. Unfortunately, the snowboarder must contend with a different type of fall, one which results in the rider falling forward upon his or her knees and arms, and the other, in which the rider falls over backwards upon his or her posterior. It is this first type of fall, which can result in serious injuries to an unsupported or unprotected wrist, to which the instant invention is directed.
There is no protective wear presently available on the market which is capable of providing a snowboard rider with a rigid protective pad which may be comfortably worn while riding, yet which affords the rider a maximum degree of protection from wrist injuries.